Partnership agreements between the EU and West Africa in a deadlock

Tholen – The meeting held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso attempted to renew the EU-African negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements, which would replace the unilateral preferential access (according to Lomé and Cotonou Conventions) of ACP countries to the EU.

Regretfully for the two parts, the meeting failed because of four main issues: first, the extension or not of the deadline for the negotiations beyond December 2007; second, the inclusion in the final report review of the aspects that West African countries consider necessary to implement an economic partnership agreement (EPA); third, the extend of the market access for West African products to the EU and the inclusion of sensitive products; and fourth, the “net-fiscal” costs of the EPAs for West African countries and the responsibility of the EU to support these costs.

Chief negotiators from both parties would meet today in Brussels attempting for a new re-launch of the locked agenda.

Publication date: February 5 2007
Author: Jahir Lombana
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